


Take Time to Realize (That I Am on Your Side)

by doctornineandthreequarters



Series: 9-1-1 Prompts and Drabbles [43]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Soft Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:09:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29042163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctornineandthreequarters/pseuds/doctornineandthreequarters
Summary: “You think Christopher’s the only person Buck would do just about anything for?” Hen asked, a small smirk on her face. “Because I think that applies to both Diaz boys.”“I don’t follow,” Eddie said.“It’s not just Christopher he’s thinking of when he rushes to do all these things,” Hen pointed out. “He’s helping you too."---Or, after Buck gives up his day off to watch Christopher, Eddie starts to realize a few very important things.
Relationships: Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV) & Bobby Nash, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Christopher Diaz & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley & Christopher Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: 9-1-1 Prompts and Drabbles [43]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1878523
Comments: 33
Kudos: 666





	Take Time to Realize (That I Am on Your Side)

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Buck does something super sweet and selfless for Eddie, like taking care of Christopher or them dinner when Eddie has to work late. Eddie gushes about it to the team and Hen comments about how Buck even showed up to his graduation party in a cast without fail and it finally gets Eddie to look back and reevaluate some things. Buck was there for him a lot but he wasn't there for Buck like he should have. Eddie realizes he needs to appreciate the other best person in his life.

Eddie sighed as he opened the door to the house. His twelve-hour shift ended up becoming a full twenty-four hours when someone had called out and Bobby needed the coverage. He was exhausted and looking forward to hugging his son and then going to sleep. 

A smile crossed his face as he stepped into the house. The whole place was warm and smelled delicious. When he had asked Buck to watch Christopher, he should’ve expected that Buck would cook something good, since Buck loved showing off his growing cooking skills.

He walked into the living room and just observed them for a moment. Buck and Christopher were on the couch, the nine-year-old pressed to Buck’s side. They were watching a documentary, Buck pointing out the animals and rambling off facts about each one of them, Christopher’s eyes flicking back and forth between the TV and Buck like a tennis match. 

Eddie smiled seeing the ease with which they interacted. When his shift had been extended and Carla couldn’t stay, it had made sense to ask Buck if he could watch Christopher. And Buck had of course said yes. But then again, Buck made it clear he’d do just about anything for Christopher. 

“Dad!” Christopher had spotted him, quickly getting up. Eddie squatted down, hugging his son. Christopher giggled when he pressed a loud kiss to the side of his head. 

“Hey mijo,” Eddie said with a grin as he let go and stood up. “Did you have a fun day with Buck?”

“Uh huh!” Christopher said. “He helped me with my book report and then we went to the park.”

“Sounds like a busy day,” Eddie said, glancing over at Buck. The taller man smirked, shrugging. “Did you have dinner?”

“Yep!” Christopher said. “Buck made pasta with veggies. It was really good.”

“And your reading log?” Christopher pouted a little. “Go read mijo and then we’ll watch a movie.” Christopher nodded and headed out of the room. 

“He mentioned the reading log earlier,” Buck said once Christopher left the room. “But he said you had to sign it, so I figured it could wait until you got home.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Eddie said, heading into the kitchen. “He loves reading anyways, so I always know he’ll do it.” He opened the fridge, trying to decide what he should eat, when he spotted a Tupperware front and center. 

“I, uh, made sure to make enough so there were leftovers for you,” Buck said as Eddie took the Tupperware out of the fridge. “I know I like an extra helping of carbs after a long shift, so I thought pasta was a good idea for dinner. And you know, Chris is a kid. There’s not many foods he doesn’t like.”

“He’s got a thing about kiwis,” Eddie said and Buck snorted. “But I think that might be my fault. And you didn’t have to make me dinner.”

“I wanted to,” Buck said, a small smile on his face. Eddie glanced over at him, smiling a little as well. “Besides, I never understood why you don’t just make the whole box of pasta.”

“Not everyone needs to feed a small army like Bobby,” Eddie said as he warmed up his food. There was a warmth bubbling through him, thinking about how Buck had made sure to make enough food so he had dinner too. And that was after Buck had agreed to give up his day off to watch Christopher. “Do you want to stick around? I can’t promise the movie won’t have singing and animation but it might still be funny.”

“Sure,” Buck said, his smile only growing. “You can tell me about your shift while Chris reads.”

“Oh man,” Eddie said with a smirk. “Do I have some stories to tell.” And as he sat down at the kitchen table, Buck sitting across from him, Eddie couldn’t help but smile.

* * *

“Where’s Buckaroo?” Eddie was sitting at the table in the loft of the station when Hen appeared. Buck was the only one not in the loft, Chimney sitting across from him and Bobby standing in front of the sink, washing dishes.

“He said he was going to get a workout in,” Chimney said, looking up from his phone. “Said he had too much adrenaline after the last call." Hen chuckled as she sat down next to Chimney. 

“That boy is something else,” Hen said. 

“Yeah,” Eddie said, his lips twitching up into a smile. Hen gave him a look and he leaned back in his seat. “Buck gave up his day off yesterday to watch Christopher.”

“Doesn’t Carla normally do that?” Hen asked. 

“Yeah but I was here for a little longer than planned,” Eddie explained. “And she had another client. So I called Buck and he went over there, no questions asked.”

“Good to know when Maddie and I need a babysitter,” Chimney said.

“I just…” Eddie started with a small sigh. “Sometimes I worry about Christopher, with everything he’s been through and what he’s lost. But knowing that Buck would do just about anything for my son...I guess it just makes me worry a little less.” Hen hummed and Eddie tilted his head slightly. 

“You think Christopher’s the only person Buck would do just about anything for?” Hen asked, a small smirk on her face. “Because I think that applies to both Diaz boys.”

“I don’t follow,” Eddie said. 

“It’s not just Christopher he’s thinking of when he rushes to do all these things,” Hen pointed out. “He’s helping you too. And not just because he cares about your son. He cares a lot about you too. I mean, why else would he come to your ‘end of probationary period’ ceremony when he probably should’ve been resting.”

“Oh yeah,” Chimney said. “He had Maddie fix up one of his uniform pants so it would fit over his cast.”

“I don’t think ripping up a state department’s uniform counts as fixing it up,” Bobby piped in from the kitchen. Chimney snorted before looking back at Eddie. Eddie just pursed his lips. Now that he thought about it, Buck did do a lot of things for him, beyond just attending his ceremony barely a week after the truck bombing.

“Huh,” Eddie said, crossing his arms over his chest. “I guess he does.” Hen just chuckled before jumping into a different conversation with Chimney. Eddie was quiet, less listening and more thinking. Buck did a lot for him, sometimes because Eddie asked and sometimes just because. And he had never really thought about that because that was just how Buck was. 

He got up, walking over to the kitchen to grab a snack or maybe some water. He didn’t really know, since he was so caught up in his thoughts. 

“You alright?” Bobby asked, snapping Eddie back to reality. 

“Yeah,” Eddie said, shaking his head. “Just a lot on my mind now.” Bobby nodded, a slight smile on his face. 

“Buck does a lot for the people he cares about,” Bobby said. “And sometimes I think that can be taken for granted, since it’s just who he is.”

“I just…” Eddie rubbed the back of his neck. “I never thought about it, but he does do a lot for Christopher and I. And I don’t think I do enough for him in return.”

“So how are you going to remedy that?” Bobby asked. Eddie’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. He didn’t exactly know how to fix this situation. It wasn’t like he technically needed to fix anything. He was sure Buck would keep doing things for him, no matter if Eddie repaid him for everything he had done. 

The bell rang, pulling Eddie out of his thoughts. As he jogged down the stairs and towards the truck, he couldn’t stop thinking about how to repay Buck for all of his kindness. But as Buck slid into the seat next to him, a pleasant smile on his face, Eddie knew he had to come up with something.

* * *

Eddie had wracked his brain for days trying to come up with how to repay Buck for all he had done for Eddie and Christopher. And when his idea finally came to him, he knew it was brilliant. 

His first step was to get Buck out of his apartment. In order to do that, Eddie had to rope Maddie in, since he figured Maddie could get Buck out of his apartment for an extended period of time. And when Eddie explained his plan, Maddie had just smiled fondly, a slight twinkle in her eyes as she promised to make sure she’d get Buck out of his apartment for the afternoon. 

Eddie waited until Maddie texted him confirming that Buck was at her place before heading over. He let himself in with the spare key Buck had given him before getting to work. He had Christopher with him, since he was an integral part of his plan. So while he busied himself around the apartment, Christopher read on the couch or played with his Legos. 

Around six o’clock, Eddie heard the lock of the door jiggling, signaling that Buck was home. Christopher was sitting at the dining table, having moved there when Eddie got a text from Maddie saying Buck was on his way home.

“Buck!” Buck looked a little surprised when he was immediately greeted by Christopher when he walked in. 

“Uh hey buddy,” Buck said with a slight tilt of his head. He spotted Eddie and managed to smile through the confusion. “What uh, what are you guys doing here?”

“We made you dinner!” Christopher exclaimed with a happy smile. “Abuela’s tamales.” Buck’s eyes lit up and Eddie smiled.

“Sounds great buddy,” Buck said. He walked over to Eddie, who was already preparing the plates. “Uh, did we have plans tonight?”

“Nope,” Eddie said, handing Buck a dish. “I just wanted to do something nice for you. Well actually, I wanted to do several nice things for you.” He placed two plates down at the table, one for Christopher and one for himself. He walked back over to Buck, who was still watching him. Eddie just took the dish from his hand and put it on the table. “Are you joining us? You know my Abuela’s tamales are only good when they’re hot.”

“I didn’t even know you knew how to make these,” Buck said, walking over to the table. He still looked a little confused and Eddie had to admit that the confusion on Buck’s face was pretty cute. 

“We learned,” Christopher said, with a mouthful of food. Eddie gave his son a look and the boy smiled sheepishly before swallowing the food. “Dad asked Abuela to teach us. It was really fun.” Eddie glanced back at Buck. His expression had changed. It was no longer confused. No, now it was something soft, something that made Eddie’s heart beat a little faster. Eddie just smiled before digging into his food. And if he noticed Buck blush a little, then that was his business.

* * *

Eddie glanced over at Buck as the credits of the movie rolled. He had specifically put on a nature documentary that Buck had been talking endlessly about wanting to watch. He had been a little shocked when Eddie put it on, since they normally stuck to cartoons or kid-friendly movies, but hadn’t said anything. 

As they watched the movie, Eddie could feel Buck’s eyes tearing away from the screen to look at him. Eddie just did his best to focus on the movie or on the pattern he was making as he carded his hand through Christopher’s hair. The motion had lulled Christopher into a slumber, the boy now fast asleep against his side. He glanced down at his son, smiling. His son had been all for his idea of doing nice things for Buck. It had nearly made his heart burst when Christopher said Buck deserved the best of everything. Because Eddie personally agreed. 

He looked up, feeling Buck watching him again. His head was tilted, like he was studying Eddie. It seemed like he was confused about why Eddie had done all of this. Buck nodded to the kitchen before getting up. Eddie gently moved Christopher, so he was lying down on the couch. He pulled a blanket over his son before getting up and following Buck. 

“I’m so confused.”

“I don’t know, the documentary was pretty straight forward,” Eddie said with a shrug. 

“That’s not what I meant,” Buck said. “The movie, the tamales? Also, I’m pretty sure you cleaned my apartment because I was going to clean my bathroom when I got home and it was spotless when I used it earlier.”

“Like I said earlier,” Eddie said, leaning back against the kitchen island. “I wanted to do some nice things for you.”

“But why?” Buck asked. 

“Because you do so much for Christopher and I,” Eddie said. “And I’ve gotten so used to it that it kind of seems like I’m taking advantage of your kindness.”

“Eddie.”

“No, Buck,” Eddie said, shaking his head. “You do so much for us. You watch Christopher on your days off. You cook all the time for us. You watch these silly kid movies or go to the park with us. You don’t have to do any of that.”

“But I want to.” Eddie smiled at that. 

“I know,” Eddie said, a softness to his voice. “And I wanted to do this. Because you deserve all of this. You deserve someone who’s going to do as much for you as you do for them.” Buck’s eyebrows raised slightly and Eddie could feel a blush rising up across his cheeks. 

“And you want to be that person?” Buck asked quietly. There was a shyness in his voice, like he was scared of the answer. But Eddie just smiled, crossing over to where Buck was standing.

“Yes,” Eddie said, his hand coming up to frame Buck’s face. His thumb gently mapped a path across Buck’s cheek and jaw, earning a blush from the taller man. Eddie leaned closer until they were almost nose-to-nose. “There’s one more thing I’d like to do, if that’s okay.”

“Yes,” Buck breathed out, his breath falling on Eddie’s lips. “God yes.” Eddie smiled before closing the remaining space between them, his lips sealing over Buck’s. Buck’s hands fell to his waist, tugging Eddie until they were chest to chest. Eddie’s hand moved to the back of Buck’s neck, angling him downward to deepen the kiss.

When they finally separated, panting a little, Buck had a dopey smile on his face. Eddie chuckled, smiling as well. 

“Wow,” Buck said. “Definitely not what I was expecting out of today.” Eddie nodded, taking Buck’s hands. “Speaking of, are you the reason my sister said I had to join her for her at-home spa day?”

“Well I needed you out of here,” Eddie said, running his thumb along Buck’s knuckles. “And Maddie was happy to help.” Buck just grinned before tugging Eddie back towards him for another kiss. Eddie hummed happily against Buck’s lips. He had been hoping this was where not only this day, but also everything with them was heading. After all, wanting to do so many nice things for each other had pushed them past platonic territory awhile ago. 

“Thank you,” Buck said when he pulled away. “For this, for today, for everything. Just...thank you Eddie.”

“You’d do anything for Chris and I,” Eddie said with a smile. “And I’d do anything for you.” And Buck’s smile was like a blinding light at that. Eddie’s smile turned to a full grin before he leaned back towards Buck, kissing him again.

And as they stood in the kitchen, pressed closely and trading soft kisses, Eddie knew that he’d keep showing Buck that he’d do anything for him for as long as he could.


End file.
